10 Reasons to Move the US Embassy to Jerusalem

Despite promise upon promise from US Presidents, the US Embassy in Israel still resides in Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish State. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

A new online petition calling to move America’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has already collected signatures from all 50 states. (Photo: Krokodyl/Wikimedia Commons)

If you still have not signed the petition urging the United States Congress to pass HB 2846: ‘The Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel Act,’ here are 10 reasons why you should sign the petition to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

1) The sovereign State of Israel established Jerusalem as its capital city.

Thus said the Lord, ‘I have returned to Zion, and I have made My dwelling in the midst of Jerusalem.’ ZECHARIAH (8:3)

No one argues that Ottawa is the capital of Canada and the whole world agrees that America’s capital is Washington, D.C. But when it comes to the capital city of the Jewish State, for some reason everyone has an opinion, and even its best friends have created a bizarre double standard. The Israeli government decided that the shekel is its national currency, Hatikvah is its national anthem, and its capital city is Jerusalem. Placing an embassy in any other Israeli city denies Israel her sovereignty and is unheard of in world politics. In fact, Israel is the only country in the world where America’s Embassy is not in its functioning capital. If America claims to be Israel’s best friend, then it should treat the Jewish State with a little respect and let her make her own decisions!

2) Jerusalem is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible.

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be still, until her righteousness emanates like bright light, and her salvation blazes like a torch. ISAIAH (62:1)

Jerusalem is referred to by name 662 times and Zion is mentioned over 150 times in the Bible, not to mention thousands of additional references throughout ancient Jewish literature and Rabbinic sources. And what about in the Koran, you might ask? Nadda. There is not a single mention of Jerusalem in Islam’s holy text, while Mohammed never once visited the holy city. For centuries, it was the Jews who taught the world, “The Land of Israel is in the center of the world; Jerusalem is in the center of the Land of Israel.” Tel Aviv is a fantastic city, but the Bible couldn’t be any more clear as to which city should be Israel’s capital.

Despite being scattered to the four corners of the earth, Jews never forgotten about their holiest city. “I am in the west, but my heart is in the east,” said the famous medieval Jewish poet, Judah Halevi. Even on our happiest days, we pause to reflect upon the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. At all Jewish weddings, the groom declares from under the bridal canopy, “If I forget thee O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither,” and breaks a glass to serve as a sad reminder that no occasion is completely joyous in the absence of the Holy Temple. Once a year, the sadness becomes overwhelming, and Jews observe a national day of mourning to remember the ancient destruction of Jerusalem, and to pray for its ultimate renewal and final restoration.

4) “King David declared it 3,000 years ago!”

But I chose Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I chose David to rule over My people Israel. II CHRONICLES (6:6)

No electoral college nor parliament elected Israel’s King. God Almighty selected David as the leader of Israel, and chose Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish kingdom, where King David ruled from for 33 years. While occupied over the centuries by numerous foreign empires, no other nation made Jerusalem its capital city besides the Jewish people. When confronted by critics of Israel’s claim to the holy city, Prime Minister Menachem Begin would retort, “We didn’t declare Jerusalem to be our capital city, King David declared it 3,000 years ago!” Who could argue with that?!

5) Throughout history there has been an uninterrupted Jewish presence in Jerusalem.

Judah will exist forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. JOEL (4:20)

The first epic tale of Biblical heroism takes place when Abraham brings his son Isaac and demonstrates his unyielding faith in God on Mount Moriah, the center of Jerusalem. That same site is where David establishes the seat of his Kingdom, where his son Solomon builds the First Temple, and after its destruction, where the Second Temple is also erected. Despite numerous attempts to exile the Jewish community from the Land of Israel, and in the face of constant oppression by foreign occupiers, the Jews have remained faithful, and ever present, in Judaism’s holiest city. There have always been Jews living in Jerusalem, even under the reign of Israel’s most brutal enemies. Historians have demonstrated that Jews have long made up the majority of Jerusalem’s population, not only since 1967 or even 1948, but since the 1830’s!

6) Jerusalem has always been the focus of Jewish practices.

Arise, let us ascend to Zion, to the Lord our God. JEREMIAH (31:5)

In modern times, Jerusalem is the center of Jewish ritual and religious practice, just as it was in Biblical times. Although we no longer have the Biblical mandate to ascend three times per year to worship in the Temple, every single day, Jews make constant reference to Jerusalem in our daily blessings and prayers. The central Jewish prayer, said three times per day, includes the request that God “open our eyes to the restoration of Zion.” At mealtimes, as well, we beseech the Almighty to “Build up the holy city of Jerusalem,” and at the conclusion of every Yom Kippur service and Passover Seder, we fervently declare, “Next year in Jerusalem!”

7) Only Israel protects the holy sites of all faiths.

I will bring them to My holy mountain, and I will gladden them in My house of prayer, their offerings will find favor on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. ISAIAH (56:7)

Even at the peak of ancient Jewish nationalism, during the times of the Temple, the priests and levites serving in Jerusalem warmly embraced the worship and sacrificial offerings of Jew and Gentile alike. Judaism does not see itself as having a monopoly on truth or being the only path to God. Judaism has deep respect for all monotheistic faiths, and welcomes the prayers of all those who call out in the name of the One God. Unfortunately, not everyone in this region has such an open-door policy. When Muslims controlled Jerusalem up until 1967, ancient Jewish and Christian holy sites were ransacked and disgraced. Today, the holy city flourishes once again. It is open to all religions and welcomes millions of pilgrims each year from all over the world.

8) Jews worldwide pray in the direction of Jerusalem.

May God bless you from Zion, and may you gaze upon the goodness of Jerusalem, all the days of your life. PSALMS (128:5)

There is no better way to understand what a person loves than to know what they pray for. A person’s deepest values and ultimate priorities emerge from his or her prayerful heart. Far from being just a trivial detail, the direction in which a person prays speaks volumes as to where their loyalties are. Muslims, for example, even while they are praying on the Temple Mount, turn their prayer rugs in the direction of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, while Palestinians living in other parts of Israel turn their backs to Jerusalem altogether while praying. On the other hand, every synagogue in the world is built facing Jerusalem. Synagogues in North America are built facing east while synagogues in Asia face west so that whenever a Jew prays, he or she faces Jerusalem.

9) The name Jerusalem contains a blessing for peace.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you will be serene. PSALMS (122:6)

The essence of Jerusalem emerges from its sacred Hebrew name, Yerushalayim. At its core is the word Shalom which has three meanings in Hebrew: hello, goodbye and peace. Shalom is the way friends greet one another, it is how Israelis answer their phones and begin emails. But, Shalom is more than a greeting, it is also a blessing. Peace is the most important gift we can ask from God, on an individual level, as families and between countries. It is therefore of utmost significance that the world’s holiest city, Jerusalem, has Shalom at its core, because only when Jerusalem is at peace, can the whole world finally enjoy peace on earth.

10) American law already requires the Embassy to move to Jerusalem.

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, have I posted guardians all day and all night, continuously, they will never be silent. ISAIAH (62:6)

Here is the most frustrating, yet optimistic reason: In 1995, the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act was passed by the 104th Congress by a sweeping vote of 93-5 in the Senate and 374-37 in the House of Representatives. Eighteen years ago, Congress passed a law “initiating and funding the relocation of the Embassy of the United States in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, no later than May 31, 1999.” Expressing the will of the American people, the act also called for “Jerusalem to remain an undivided city and for it to be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel.” Here is where it gets frustrating: since passage nearly twenty years ago, the law has never been implemented by the president, and serves as a willful abuse of executive power.

Yet, there is reason to be optimistic. With God, there is always reason to be hopeful, and if reasons 1 – 10 weren’t good enough, Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado) has recently co-sponsored a bill, HR 2846, ‘The Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel Act,’ which will finally correct this Biblical, historical, legal, and political injustice. The complete text of the bill is worth reading, as it offers even more reasons why America must finally move its Embassy to Jerusalem, and it is available here. Show Congress that you support HR 2846, ‘The Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel,’ and add your signature to the petition that will be presented to Congress!

About the Author

Rabbi Naphtali “Tuly” Weisz is the publisher of Breaking Israel News. He attended Yeshiva University (BA), Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (Rabbinic Ordination) and the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law (JD) and served as the Rabbi of the Beth Jacob Congregation in Columbus, Ohio. Upon making Aliyah, Rabbi Weisz founded Israel365 and serves as the publisher of Breaking Israel News providing latest headlines from a Biblical perspective. Rabbi Weisz can be reached by email.